In the pilot episode of the cult series The Tick, the title hero promises to deliver "one steaming hot cup of justice."

That's exactly what's needed in Aspen, where a coffee shop is suing a former employee for turning off the espresso machine on his last day of work.

This strange tale comes to us courtesy of the Aspen Times. According to the paper, the parent company of Victoria's Espresso and Wine Bar is suing former employee Zachary Lockwood. The suit claims that last August, Lockwood "intentionally attempted to sabotage [the coffee shop's] espresso machine by turning it off, contrary to all instructions, fully knowing that this would cause the [coffee shop] to miss at least an hour of business the following morning while the machine came back to temperature."

Oh yeah: The folks at Victoria's also want to prevent Lockwood from working at another coffee shop, asserting that he signed an agreement promising not to "disclose to any third party any of the techniques, skills or other knowledge that he learnt as part of training." In addition, this pact allegedly bans him from working as a barista "at any cafe or coffee shop in Aspen or elsewhere in the Roaring Fork Valley for two years after the end of his employment."